hilder



Nov. 14, 1944. s. HILDER 2,362,633

REGISTER Filed Nov. 17, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 III]? II Ill/III U INVENTOR I mif lw Nov. 14, 1944. s. HILDER 2,362,633

REGISTER Filed Nov. 17, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /53 INVENTOR Nov. 14, 1944.

Filed NOV. 17, 1943 5. HILDER llly REGI STER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR U M JJ/KZ Q S. HILDER Nov. 14, 1944.

REGISTER 4' Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 17, 1943 Patented Nov. 14, 1944 Y REGISTER Stuart Hilder, Arlington, Va., asslgnor to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Orange, N. 1., a corporation of Delaware Application November 17, 1943, Serial No. 510,617

3 Claims.

The invention has relation to registers, and more particularly to means whereby an operation control lever of an adding machine, calculating machine or the like will remain inoperative to set the machine for a particular operation and/or to initiate such operation so long as certain value representing devices, such as digit entering means, stand at zero position.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a calculating machine wherein the invention is applied to automatic division controls.

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation of the same with the casing removed and parts shown in their normal position of rest.

Fig. 3 is a detail left side elevation of the division lever and associated parts;

Fig. 4 is a left side elevation of certain parts illustrated in Fig. 2, shown with the division lever in active position and the controls in the positions taken during an over run of the actuators beyond full cycle position.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the keyboard, with certain frame elements shown in section.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section through the keyboard.

Fig. 7 is a detail face view of a modified form of value representing members, and associated parts.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through a, calculating machine wherein the invention is applied to automatic multiplication controls.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a key for initiating multiplication.

Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, inclusive, show the invention applied to the automatic division mechanism of a calculating machine; the disclosure of the known mechanism being similar to that of U. S. Patent No. 1,888,161, issued on November 15, 1932, to George C. Chase, and entitled "Automatic control for calculating machines."

In accordance with this disclosure an electric motor I (Fig. 1) has driving connections (not shown) with a series of differential actuators 5, mounted upon a drive shaft 4, a clutch H0 (Fig. 2) being interposed in the drive connections. Clutch H0 is fully described in the Chase patent heretofore referred to and comprises differential gear elements operable selectively by a clutch yoke III to effect; additive or alternatively subtractive registering movement of the actuators,

engaged from clutch H0 and reengaged there-- with, to provide for subtractive and istrations in known manner.

The means for disengaging the clutch and thereafter reengaging the same is controlled from the numeral wheels II, also in known manner.

additive reg- For this purpose a. rock arm 22 is connected with a crank on shaft 4 by a link 2| designed to be engaged by a pawl 25 carried on a stop arm 2!,

upon release of said pawl by a trigger 3| operated by a pin on one of the numeral wheels l3, whenever said wheel is moved by the tens transfer mechanism of the register, when registration therein passes from positive to negative or from negative to positive. Stop arm 24 is provided with an extension I (Fig. 4) having pin and cam slot engagement with clutch yoke HI, so that upon engagement of pawl 25 with rock arm 22 and consequent clockwise movement of stop arm 24, the clutch yoke will be disengaged from clutch H0. long as division lever 20! remains set in counterclockwise adjusted position, disengagement of the clutch will be succeeded by reengagement thereof to efl'ect calculation of the opposite sign, this being effected by means of a tooth 209 slidably mounted on'yoke Ill and settable into active position by interponent 200 and cam member 220. In this active position of tooth 209, the normalizing of the clutch yoke will bring said tooth into the path of movement of a stud 2l6 mounted in a crank arm of shaft 4, and during rotation of said shaft in either direction (tooth 209 serving as a rigid extension of the clutch yoke III) the yoke will be moved into engagement with clutch 0. After the retraction of division lever 20I to normal position, tooth 202 will be retracted and the parts above described will operate to bring the machine to rest.

From the above, it will b apparent that once the machine is thrown into subtraction by division lever 20I all further control of the machine is dependent upon registration in the numeral wheels l3, consequently it no value is set up in the difierential actuators 5, the machine will continue to run indefinitely, and that the running or the machine will not be stopped by retraction of aid division lever. In a machine built in accordance with the disclosure of the Chase patent hereinbefore referred to, this indefinite running of the machine is stopped by depression of an addition or of a. subtraction key, these keys having means independent of the division mechanism for disengaging the clutch. In other full automatic dividing machines, the same condition is met by the provision of a special stop key, operable to disengage the clutch independently of the division mechanism. In either case the mere stopping of the machine does not bring it back to its original condition, since the quotient register will display an arbitrary and unwanted value, which must be cleared before any further registrations are eflected. Further, if the division key in any of these machines is accidentally thrown to active position while the electrical connection or the motor is disengaged, the machine will be started in subtraction as soon as the connection is made, even though the division lever has been retracted betore-hand, nothing about the external controls of the machine indicating that it is not in normal condition.

It is the object or the present invention to overcome these and similar objections by the provision of an external or hand lever for the division mechanisnrwhich will not be eiIective unless one or more of the differential actuators have been set to represent a value other than 0.

The means for setting the differential actuators are shown as corresponding to the disclosure of U. S. Patent No. 1,399,652, issued on December 6, 1921 to E. E. Phinney and entitled Setting-up means for calculating machines." In accordance with this disclosure banks or keys I8 (Figsi 5 and 6) representing the values 1 to 9, and a pair of setting bails I9 underlie each bank of keys, one or the other or both of a pair being cammed by a depressed key and thereby, through yoke extensions of the balls, setting one or the other or both of the complemental actuator members 5 into position to act upon the gear connections oi the wheels I3. The teeth of the actuator members 5 are graded in lateral extent and thereby serve to give the desired number of steps of movement to the numeral wheels during each cycle of operation.

According to the present invention a, universal bail I50 (Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6) extends transversely of the series of bails I9, said universal bail being provided with projections I5l as seen in Fig. 5 and being normally held by a spring I53 in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, with the projections I5I adjacent to projections I52, but leaving operative clearance therebetween. The supporting arm at one end of bail I50 is extended upward and a hand lever I54 is Iulcrurned thereon at I55, the lower extension of'said hand lever being connected by a link I56 with the stud 205 of division lever I.

When any of the keys I8 stand depressed, the projections I52 of bails I9 will be held in position opposite the related projections of universal bail I50, and upon hand lever I54 being thrown rearwardly by the operator (movement of bail I50 being blocked) said hand lever will fulcrum about the point I55, and will throw division lever 20I into its active position where it will be held by the action of a spring click 225 (Fig. 3).

aseaeaa If it is desired to terminate a division operation by manual retraction of lever I54, said lever will fulcrum upon a fixed stud I51, and will act through link I55 to retract division lever 20I, Any desired-means for automatically terminating the division operation (such as that disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,250,403, issued on July 22, 1941, to George C. Chase and entitled, Division stop mechanism for calculators) may be connected either with lever I54 or lever 20I.

If lever I54 is thrown into its operative position when none of the keys II are depressed, the projection I52 of balls I0 will stand out of alignment with the projections I5I of universal bail I50, and, click 225 resisting movement oi! lever 20I, lever I54 will rock bail I50 counter-clockwise about its pivot I50. Upon manual release or lever I54 spring I53 will restore the parts to normal position.

-Figure 7 represents a diiIerent form 01 value representing member, whcih may be felt out in the manner above described to control the setting and/or initiation of a special operation. The value is here represented by a rotary member I59 which may be used for instance for setting the differential actuators or as an item register. Members I59 are illustrated in Fig. 7 as standing in zero position, wherein the projection or engaging portion I5I' of bail I50 stands opposite the notched portion of a disk I00. When a member I59 is set to represent a. value other than 0, the unnotched peripheral portion of the disk I60 will lie in the path of movement of the part I5I', so that the bail I50 will be held as a fulcrum for the operating lever as previously described.

Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings illustrate the invention as applied to a machine wherein a stored multiplier value is placed in control of the repeated registration 0! a multiplicand, to obtain the product. The machine illustrated corresponds to the disclosure of British Patent Speciflcation No. 509,747, issued to Monroe Calculating Machine Company upon a specification accepted July 20, 1939.

According to this disclosure, the multiplier value is set in the actuators 5 (Fig. 8) by means of the keys I0 and bails I9, and is transferred from said actuators into storage wheels 3, these wheels being moved step by step back to zero position during the calculation of the product. The multiplicand is set on keys I5, the balls I0 serving to set the actuators 5 and to hold them set during the calculation.

The values having been set into the machine, the calculation is started by the depression 01' an operation key 'I'I (Fig. 9) this key serving through lever 10 and pull rods 19, 19 to rock a lever 00. A latch 03 is pivoted upon lever 50 at point 82, said latch normally engaging a lug 54 of a clutch detent 01 pivoted upon the frame of the machine at II. Forward movement 0! rods I9, I9 will thus rock detent 01, against pring tension, out of engagement with the spring clutching pawl 00 of a multiplier clutch 09. This clutch is of well-known form, the spring pawl 00 engaging the driving member of the clutch when the detent is moved out oi restraining position. Upon release of the key detent 51 will ride upon the periphery of the driven element housing of cam 09, until the clutch has completed a cycle of operation, whereupon pawl 08 will encounter the end of detent 81 and will be moved out of clutching position. Clutch 59 operates mechanism for conditioning the machine for multiplication and for engaging the main clutch, to effect the calculation. In case the multiplicand value has not been set on the keyboard at the time the operation key is depressed, the machine of the British patent would make an entry in the multiplier register without having obtained a product, and a still more serious result would be the elimination of the multiplier setting from the storage wheels by the counting back operation.

These objections are overcome in the same manner as in the case of automatic division. For this purpose the projections Il" of bail I 50 cooperate with the projections I52 of the bails I9 in manner previously described, bail I50" having a bracket I6I mounted thereon, upon which bracket a lever I62 is fulcrumed, the other extremity of said lever being pivotally connected with rod 19' and rod 79 being pivoted intermediately of the lever.

With an amount set in the keyboard I8, depression of key 11 and consequent forward movement of rod 19 will cause lever I62 to fulcrum upon bracket I6I, and effect forward movement of rod 19' and engagement of clutch 89. In case all the key I8 stand at zero when key is depressed, bail I6 may swing forward freely (except for the restraint of its light restoring spring) and, since detent 81 will be held by its strong spring, lever I62 will rock with the bail about its pivotal connection with rod 79' and no operation will be effected.

Obviously the division mechanism of Figs. 1 to 6 and the multiplication mechanism of Figs. 8 and 9 may both be present in a single machine, and in this case the invention may be applied to the operation of the division key and the multiplier key, using the same bail I50, I50" for both controls.

In the case of any special operation in which it is desired to start an operation with none of the digit keys I8, I8 depressed, as might be the case if means were provided for automatically depressing given keys, a special key for this purpose could be added, such key operating to adjust division lever 20I or multiplier member 80 directly, since the special mechanism herein provided will not interfere with independent ad- .iustment of such members.

It may be noted that the mechanism imposes no load on the digit setting keys, is entirely inactive during the operation of the machine by other control mechanisms and that there is no extra load imposed upon the division or multiplication operating members.

I claim:

1. In a register having a series of differentially settable value representing devices and an operating lever; a universal member movable toward said value representing devices and designed to contact with any one of them standing in set position representing a value other than zero, and a control lever having operating connection with the operating lever and with the universal member, designed for idle movement by displacement of the universal member when the value representing devices all stand at zero and to fulcrum upon the universal member and displace the operating lever when said universal member contacts a set value representing device.

2. In a register having a series of differentially settable value representing devices and an operating lever; a universal member movable toward said value representing devices and designed to contact with any one of them standing in set position representing a value other than zero, a control lever having operating connection with the operating lever and with the universal member designed for idle movement by displacement of the universal member when the value representing devices all stand at zero and to fulcrum upon the universal member and displace the operating lever when said universal member contacts a set value representing device, and a stationary abutment. providing a fulcrum for the control lever in the retraction thereof torestore the operating lever.-

3. In a register having a series of differentially settable value representing devices and a yieldably located operating lever; a universal spring retracted bail movable against its spring tension toward said value representing devices and designed to contact withany one of them standing in set position representing a value other than zero, and a control lever pivotally mounted upon the bail and having operating connection with the operating lever, designed for idle movement by displacement of the bail when the value representing devices all stand at zero and to fulcrum upon said bail and displace the operating lever when said bail contacts a set value representing device.

STUART HILDER. 

